A German shipping company has plead guilty and will pay $1 million for covering up illegal dumping of oily waste water from one of its vessels into the Great Lakes. The U.S. Justice Department said shipping company MST, operator of the MV Cornelia, has pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) for failing to maintain an accurate ship … [Read more...]
South Korean Shipping Company Fined $950,000 in Hawaii Over Illegal Discharges
A a federal judge in Hawaii has sentenced a South Korean shipping company to pay a total of $950,000 for its failure to maintain an accurate oil record book, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, and making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard about dumping oil contaminated bilge water. U.S. District of Hawaii Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi on … [Read more...]
UK Shipping Company Fined $750,000 Over Illegal Discharges
A UK shipping company pleaded guilty in US federal court and has been sentenced to pay a $750,000 criminal fine over illegal discharges from one its vessels while off the coast of Florida. Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd, a company based in Glasgow, U.K., and operator of the reefer cargo ship M/V Murcia Carrier, pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an accurate oil record … [Read more...]
Car Carrier Chief Engineer Pleads Guilty in ‘Magic Pipe’ Case
The chief engineer of a car carrier has pleaded guilty in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, to obstruction of justice and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Noly Torato Vidad was the chief engineer of the Panama-flagged MV Selene Leader, operated by Hachiuma Steamship Co LTD, a Japanese company, between August 2013 and the end of January … [Read more...]
New Zealand Fishing Company Fined $2.4 Million, Chief Engineer Jailed for Environmental Crimes
WASHINGTON – A New Zealand fishing company that owned and operated the tuna fishing vessel San Nikunau, and a former chief engineer on the ship, were sentenced in federal court today for environmental crimes and obstruction of justice, announced Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and … [Read more...]
Bilge Dump CSI: AIS Helps ID Vessel Responsible for Oil Slick Off Angola
On April 6th, satellite-image-monitoring-environmental group SkyTruth identified a 92-mile slick off Congo and Angola captured in the above photo that was likely the result of a discharge of oily bilge water from a ship. Now, after a thorough investigation worthy of it's own CSI episode to find the perp, SkyTruth believes it has identified just who is responsible for the … [Read more...]
U.S. Charges New Zealand Fishing Company Alleging Environmental Crimes and Obstruction of Justice
A New Zealand fishing company has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating environmental laws and obstruction of justice. The case is the latest in a crackdown by the USCG targeting foreign vessels violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships law. The seven-count indictment was handed down Tuesday to Sanford Ltd., a New Zealand based company that … [Read more...]